And after attending the Champions' Dinner in Central London last night - he left at 1.30am - Murray returned to his Oxshott home for an hour's sleep before returning to Wimbledon at 8am this morning.

And the Wimbledon champion revealed he had spoken to Beckham in the car on his way back to the scene of his greatest triumph.

"I messaged him back and forth over the last ten days or so," he said. "He was just getting back from Singapore. He called me this morning when I was on the way to speak to you guys just to say well done congratulations and enjoy it."

David Beckham called Murray to congratulate him on Monday morning (Photo: REX)

Sir Alex was in the Royal Box for Murray's five-set triumph in the quarter-finals - but he was away on holiday yesterday.

"I got a message from him yesterday and this morning," he revealed. "He's going on a cruise up the coast of Scotland. so he wasn't able to come. He said to me that he always wanted to do that.

"It's like ten days it takes and he's never done it in his life because he'd never take ten days off from his work - an unbelievable work ethic over such a long period of time. Spending 15 minutes with him... he's an impressive guy. Really, really impressive. And you can learn a lot from him."

Murray said the fight against cancer of his close friend Ross Hutchins had also changed his attitude to life.

"Over the first few months of this year, especially, it changes your perspective on things for sure," he continued.

"He's obviously extremely young to have something like that. Very shocking. I said to a few of the guys that when someone asks you how you are feeling after my semi-finals in Australia at the beginning of the year, you think twice. It's really not that bad in comparison to what he was going through. It definitely changes your perspective on things."

Murray will attend a sponsor's event in Kennington this lunchtime before a planned visit to Downing Street, after David Cameron fuelled speculation that Murray will be recommended for a knighthood.

The Prime Minister said honours were decided independently but said "I can't think of anyone who deserves one more".

"It was a fantastic day for Andy Murray, for British tennis and for Britain," he added after watching the match from the Royal Box.

"I think he lifted the spirits of the whole country.

"We were wondering yesterday morning 'Do we dare to dream that this is possible?' and he proved absolutely that it was."